Hi: I am scheduled to have my gallbladder out on friday and I am suffering. One thing that happened to me that I don't see anyone else having had is during my hida scan my gallbladder didn't show up and they ended up giving me morphine to make it appear. The doctor told me that it fills too slowly? Does anyone else have this or have you heard of this? I have had all the tests and everything else is normal. The pain is constant around my belly button and it starts stabbing/shooting whenever I eat. I have been taking pain meds a lot this week and reading here about problems after the surgery. I am hoping that when they take the gb out that I won't continue to have pain.

Hi meg,
i had a similar situation last year. I had been having a lot of pain in my mid section, above belly button. It seemed to come in the evening, precipitated by what I ate - I guess. I had the ultra sound, ct scan, ercp and hide-a-scan. The first part of the the scan did not show my gal bladder at all. They thought it was because it was not functioning. So they had me sit in a room for an hour then when I went back in, they did something and, wha la, there it was. They, too, said it was because it just filled slow. Nothing was done because all my test were negative - you are in great shape - it's just that you have pain for some reason. Well the pain did subside for a year, now it is back in all its glory. I went to er with severe uppper abdominal pain. They did a ultra sound - no problem. Then a ct scan which showed cysts on my duct into the pancrease. Had a ercp yesterday and, guess what, no cysts! It was just the shape of my pancrease. Now I have to have another hide-a-scan friday. I know it will be normal. I am sure all my problems come from my gall bladder but none of the tests will confirm this. So I just continue to watch what I eat and see what causes the pain - then don't eat it again.
Good luck with your surgery. Hopefully you will be pain free soon thereafter. I will continue to struggle with my situation. I just want a definite cause for pain and I want it resolved. Is that asking too much.
Your hid-a- friend
margie

Hi. I had a hida scan yesterday 5/19/11. My gallbladder took almost three hours to show up. The dr said it will show in 30 minutes if nothing is wrong. There are many reasons it does not show in the right time and all of them are because the gallbladder is not functioning properly. Once it did show, barely and not very good picture, they injected me with the Kinevac. Oh boy!! Let me say - they told me some people don't even know it was injected. It was horrible. She injected it very slowly. She said any symptoms I had would start to dissipate in five or six minutes. They did. I was not allowed to talk or move in any way. I started feeling nauseated, then pain under my right rib, then I burst out in sweat all over my body then the pain crossed my abdomin and became severe chest pain radiating down my left arm. All I could do was let tears flow and raise my right thumb when she asked if I was experiencing this or that. I recognized ALL of these symptoms. I've had them all before. I thought I was having heart attacks. Was soooo releived to find out it was my gallbladder. My ultrs sound showed no stones. Your dr must order hida scan with Kinevac. It will tell you definitively!!

I feel like I am looking in a mirror!! My ultrasound, hita scan, cat scan all came back with negative results, gallbladder looked fine. However, having severe gallbladder symptoms, and the surgeons have a strong "gut feeling" it is my gallbladder?! Because all of my tests showed "positive" good results, they will not remove my gallbladder because insurance (which we have and is great) may not cover the costs if the tests are showing no signs of bad gallbladder. getting more and more frustrated by the day!

I have been haveing pain in my upper stomach for about a year now and always feel sick no matter what I eat and very bad gas pain. I had many small stones in my gb. But all the tests show my gb is working and not inlarged. Had the tube put down my throat everything good. My doctor who is a surgern and a friend for over 20 years said all my problems are from the gb. He said gb cause all kind of strange problems. I ask him about the gb flush he laughed and said it does not work. So I had my gb out about 6 days ago. And I feel great. No more pain no more gas. At the hospital the night of the sugery I sat down with my doctor the surgern and 2 other surgerns and drilled then with questions for over a hour. I told then about how I read on the internet about all the people after gb surgery so many people get the runs.
They all laughed and said that will not happen and it never happens to no one after gb removal. They explaned how we dont even use our gb anymore. They said 95% of the bile from the liver everyday does not even go into the gb it passes right down into the lower stomach helps food digest and most of that bile goes back up into the liver again and comes back down into the stomach again. Here is a site http://arbl.Cvmbs.Colostate.Edu/hbooks/pat
hphys/digestion/liver/bile.Html

:? Definately nervous! When they took my blood for my first visit, that hurt! Plus it will be in the morning where I have to make my hubby get the kid up for school. Just keeping my fingers crossed.
Ps my aunt is a nurse, who also had one and she notes that the dye will make your arm feel warm. You shouldn't feel sick after.
I almost wish I hadnt gone to the dr though. I only getting stabbing pains every once in a while, for 2 seconds.

hi: I am scheduled to have my gallbladder out on friday and I am suffering. One thing that happened to me that I don't see anyone else having had is during my hida scan my gallbladder didn't show up and they ended up giving me morphine to make it appear. The doctor told me that it fills too slowly? Does anyone else have this or have you heard of this? I have had all the tests and everything else is normal. The pain is constant around my belly button and it starts stabbing/shooting whenever I eat. I have been taking pain meds a lot this week and reading here about problems after the surgery. I am hoping that when they take the gb out that I won't continue to have pain.

Thanks!

My doctor told me that if it does not show up that means it's really not working at all. I had mine out in august.

i have been violated in every gi way possible. Upper gi, endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound, ct scan. Today is my hida scan. I hate to admit this, but I hope it shows my gallbladder is not functioning. I have had pain for years but it has gotten almost unbearable for the past three weeks or so. I don't really know what to expect today from the test but whatever it is, it will be worth it if I get some answers. I do not have a uterus, appendix, one tube or ovary so it can't be any of those. (though when my appendix was bad, it took five months to figure out.) living this way is difficult at best and I can't "fake it till I make it" anymore. My family is tired of mom being sick all the time and my husband owns his business and has had to pick up slack around here. Any support? I'm losing my mind!! :cry:

Oh my poor dear person, a normal hideascan test is absolutely meaningless!!! Five years ago after my first gall bladder attack,
and 4 or 5 gall bladder attacks later and at least 4 hospitalizations with pancreatitis ( anbd if you think a gall bladder attack is pain - you have
no idea what pain is!)
I had my gall bladder taken out right after christmas, finally. But
before my surgery, the surgeon ordered a hideascan. I was very adamant with him that I did not care what that ridiculous test showed, I was 100% sure that my gall bladder was bad, and had to be removed. I had every classic symptoms of a person with gall bladder disease.
This supposedly very specific & "state of the art" test is meant to show how well your gall bladder is functioning - it is a disaster. In my case, it showed that my gal bladder was fine.
The very next day I had my gall bladder removed (laparascopic
thank heavens, just 4 holes instead of cutting me) what my surgeon found when he saw my gall bladder was essentially a rotting piece of meat. On the outside was massive inflammation, on the inside it had
vile smelling liquid, and it had zero muscle tone, was as flaccid as a
dead snake. One of the things this test supposedly measures is the
gall bladder's muscle tone, showing how well the gall bladder can
contract. It's called an "ejection fraction". In my case, I had a 96%
ejection fraction, showing a very healthy gall bladder. In reality, it
was a piece of rotting meat. :roll: if you have the symptoms of gall
bladder disease - please do insist on having it removed. This test
is meaningless and has cost me 5 years of agony as well as countless
hospitalizations. I personally intend to sue the company that makes
this test, because of what I have been through. If it wasn't for this ridiculous test i'd have had my gall bladder removed 5 years ago
and been spared the misery & agony i've been through
since then.

"at the hospital the night of the sugery I sat down with my doctor the surgern and 2 other surgerns and drilled then with questions for over a hour. I told then about how I read on the internet about all the people after gb surgery so many people get the runs.
They all laughed and said that will not happen and it never happens to no one after gb removal."

that is not true. I had my gallbladder out on december 22 and am still getting some diarreha. According to my doctor, this should resolve itself within a month after surgery. But he said that in 1 out of 400 people, it does not resolve. Then they prescribe something to stop the diarreha.

Iam also having abdominal pain my ultrasound came back fine so did my blood test. I am scheduled for a hydascan. I wonder if I can just tell my doctor to let me have the surgery done and avoid any other test needed. I havent been able to eat good at all only able to drink juices and soups. Its a terrible feeling.

oh my poor dear person, a normal hideascan test is absolutely meaningless!!! Five years ago after my first gall bladder attack,
and 4 or 5 gall bladder attacks later and at least 4 hospitalizations with pancreatitis ( anbd if you think a gall bladder attack is pain - you have
no idea what pain is!)
I had my gall bladder taken out right after christmas, finally. But
before my surgery, the surgeon ordered a hideascan. I was very adamant with him that I did not care what that ridiculous test showed, I was 100% sure that my gall bladder was bad, and had to be removed. I had every classic symptoms of a person with gall bladder disease.

This supposedly very specific & "state of the art" test is meant to show how well your gall bladder is functioning - it is a disaster. In my case, it showed that my gal bladder was fine.
The very next day I had my gall bladder removed (laparascopic
thank heavens, just 4 holes instead of cutting me) what my surgeon found when he saw my gall bladder was essentially a rotting piece of meat. On the outside was massive inflammation, on the inside it had
vile smelling liquid, and it had zero muscle tone, was as flaccid as a
dead snake. One of the things this test supposedly measures is the
gall bladder's muscle tone, showing how well the gall bladder can
contract. It's called an "ejection fraction". In my case, I had a 96%
ejection fraction, showing a very healthy gall bladder. In reality, it
was a piece of rotting meat. :roll: if you have the symptoms of gall
bladder disease - please do insist on having it removed. This test
is meaningless and has cost me 5 years of agony as well as countless
hospitalizations. I personally intend to sue the company that makes
this test, because of what I have been through. If it wasn't for this ridiculous test i'd have had my gall bladder removed 5 years ago
and been spared the misery & agony i've been through
since then.

there must have been some kind of error in computer processing or interpreting the hida scan. No one is perfect. A rotten gallbladder will not have a 96% ejection fraction. A repeat of the proceedure would have been a good idea. Perhapse the surgeon was exagerating in his description of the gallbladder.
In any event, I would never advicate having any surgery based on your own interpretation of the symptoms. You were lucky.

Actually, I'm a sonographer, & I get patients all the time who have negative GB Ultrasounds and HIDA scans, but because they are symptomatic they go ahead and remove it and find that it is a sick GB, some are even gangrene. Some will have gallstones (which won't always show up on tests if they aren't calcified enough). I can't explain it, and neither can the doctors, but it does happen. I do know that GB's with partial function can show a normal function if they aren't acting up at the time of the exam, but it's hard to know when you're going to have a flare up and schedule your exam accordingly. I'm in this same boat right now. My HIDA scan 5 months ago showed normal function, but I can see sludge in my GB and tiny "gravel" stones on Ultrasound. Now I just have to find a doctor that will listen to me and order an official Ultrasound because the Gastro wants to do another HIDA, and I don't want to pay for another HIDA if it doesn't catch my GB when it's not functioning properly.

hi: I am scheduled to have my gallbladder out on friday and I am suffering. One thing that happened to me that I don't see anyone else having had is during my hida scan my gallbladder didn't show up and they ended up giving me morphine to make it appear. The doctor told me that it fills too slowly? Does anyone else have this or have you heard of this? I have had all the tests and everything else is normal. The pain is constant around my belly button and it starts stabbing/shooting whenever I eat. I have been taking pain meds a lot this week and reading here about problems after the surgery. I am hoping that when they take the gb out that I won't continue to have pain.

Thanks!

Meg

the gallbladder not filling during the first part of the test, but filling after you are given morphine usually means...
1. Your gallbladder is sick. Or...
2. Your gallbladder is already filled with bile. This usually happens when someone has been fasting for a long time, (greater than 24 hr.) or has been too sick to eat much for several days.
You should only be fasting 4 to 8 hours for a hida scan. Definitely no more than 12 hours. Another alternative, if the ultrasound shows no stones, is to be given a dose of kinevac (cholecystokinine or cck) about one hour before the scan is started. This way if the gallbladder is capable of filling, it will, promptly.
One extra note! If you are given morphine, you cannot have a gallbladder ejection fraction done. The result will be useless.

Went to er and got admitted for 2 days, they ran all kinds of tests. Vomiting, diaherra, more vomiting, I was dehydrated. Finally went home, nothing wrong with GI traact upper or lower. Went to work for 3 days and got sick again, same thing went back to ER they did a CT scan....normal again. This time they gave me phangan suppostiories...they help me not to hurt as much. Today went to the doc and he said he wants to get a hidascan on me ASAP. They are running all kinds of blood work and stool samples etc today. Stool is nothing but water. Anyway 2 days no vomiting, I feel lucky. I actually ate real food today...hopefully it stays down. Thanks for listening.

dear margie,
i feel the same way! they have performed test after test and i feel like they will nevr find the answer at this point. i go for a hida scan in a week or so, but i've had ct scans, mri's, ultra sounds. i'm beginning to think that vommiting after eating red meat, veggies, fruits and/or alcohol is just this new way of life i have to get used too. and it isn't always the same foods. and it isn't always a certian time of day or month. i just get sick a lot. i'm starting to see a different specialist for a second opinion. i read online that the hida scan targets pain in the upper right of your abdomen and my pain is usually in my lower left sometime right but near my hip. i'm struggling at work b/c i'm sick so often. i only got online tonight to see how much a hida scan costs and i can't find it. i'm stressed, drained and losing my faith in this practice of medicines.
natalie

It's also the area of your left ovary and your ureter (the tube that empties your left kidney to your bladder) But yes, I do think it is odd that no labs have been done. Have you considered also a food allergy? Maybe not the same foods trigger the vomiting, but if the foods fall into the same category, it might be that you are allergic to all citrus, or maybe the betacarotine in certain veggies...that kind of thing. Could be your GB, but don't be afraid to think outside of the box. You can always call the hospital and request the price of the exam, they will tell you, but keep in mind there is usually a Radiologist interpretation fee for reading the exam. If you don't have insurance, I would speak with someone in billing and see if a) can you get a discount since you don't have insurance, b) how much would a payment plan cost you per month. Hope this helps

I had suffer for years with upper stomach pains on the right side and two years ago hip and leg weakness,light headness and shortness of breath because of pressure on right side . They did blood work and ultra sound and everything was normal.they finally did a hida san and found that the gull functioning at zero.

You said, "my pain is usually in my lower left sometime right but near my hip. i'm struggling at work b/c i'm sick so often".

This sounds like diverticultis and must be treated immediatly. Diverticula are little pouches on the exterior of your colon that are filled with puss and are inflamed. If this goes untreated, your body can go into sepsis or peritonitis. Not trying to scare you, but that is what almost happened to my grandmother because one of her diverticula almost ruptured.

Here is a list of symptoms from mayoclinic.com:

Common signs and symptoms of diverticulitis include:

Ã¢ï¿½Â Pain that's often sudden, severe, and located in the lower left side of the abdomen. Less commonly, abdominal pain may be mild at first, and become worse over several days, possibly fluctuating in intensity
Ã¢ï¿½Â Change in bowel habits
Ã¢ï¿½Â Abdominal tenderness
Ã¢ï¿½Â Fever
Ã¢ï¿½Â Nausea and vomiting
Ã¢ï¿½Â Constipation
Ã¢ï¿½Â Diarrhea

Hi My mom has been having the exact same pain. She has serve pain in her back and right side to th epoint were she passes out. It also after she eats food she will go into the hospital for a week not eat and be okay for a few months but then it happens again. All her test are normal except it says her liver tests are up and her liver is 40% fat but she doesnt drink shes not over weight at all. When she had a ct scan down it showed her gallbladder was just slow filling up but they still wont take it out and we no its her gallbladder! was anyones infecion rate up as well. her white blood cell count is up. please email me back this has been going on for 4 years its horrible i hate seeing her in that pain.